The 14th Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival

The Annual Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival is one of the major summer events of the city and province. It attracts over 125,000 people to its lakeside location, who come to enjoy a sporting event with roots going back over 2,000 years.

In addition to the 100 races on Toronto Centre Island over two days, attractions include a cultural festival, with heritage entertainment on the Festival stage, a Cultural Village with crafts and clowns and exhibits of interest and an international food court, offering dishes from near and far.

The races themselves take place at Centre Island over two days. Each team of 20 paddlers, with a drummer at the head of the boat keeping the beat on a special drum and the steersperson at the back, races to be first over the finish line on the 500-meter course. Each race takes approximately 2.5 minutes. Six team race at a time, until the finals on Sunday afternoon.

Teams vie for championships in a number of categories. The top winning team represents Canada at the International Championship Races in Hong Kong in 2003.

The Dragon Boat Festival is an entertaining and enjoyable event. If you are looking for a place to enjoy a full weekend day of fun and excitement, here is a perfect opportunity

Time: June 22/23 2002.
Place: Toronto Centre Island.

今年多伦多国际龙舟赛将有来自香港、欧洲、美国和加拿大各 地200多个队伍参加 120 多场赛事，今年大赛的总冠军将代表多伦多参加明年在亚洲举行的国际龙舟大赛。
　国际龙舟大赛是多伦多每年夏季的户外活动盛事，龙舟赛结合体育运动、娱乐和多元文化等多种元素，受到市民的热烈欢迎，每年前往中央岛观看龙舟大赛的市民人数不断增加，预计今年可以吸引更多市民，观赛者来自加拿大不同族裔社区人士。
　今年龙舟大赛将新增「香港经济贸易办事处奖杯赛」，以祝贺香港特别行政区政府成立五周年。四艘装饰着香港经济贸易办事处标记的龙舟将角逐这个特别奖杯，该比赛定于 6 月 23 日下午 4 点举行。其它特别赛事包括为癌症康复者和残障少年而设立的比赛项目。龙舟赛期间在中央岛大会舞台有丰富的娱乐节目，赞助商搭设的帐棚内有各种游戏和抽奖等活动，中午食摊内还有精美的中式点心和快餐等。龙舟赛热线：416－595－1739，龙舟赛网址为：www.torontodragonboat.com。